


Five Months

by Lamsfan



Category: 18th Century CE RPF, American Revolution RPF, Hamilton - Miranda, Historical RPF
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-27
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2019-02-18 15:28:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13103121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lamsfan/pseuds/Lamsfan
Summary: I was wrapping gifts and doing the last of the Christmas baking while thinking about Alexander and John and wishing they could have had a happy ending.  It's short but I hope it's enjoyable.Laurens joined Washington's staff in August.  That's probably the only historically accurate thing here.





	1. August

“Yes, sir,” Hamilton said as he headed towards the door.  “I’ll bring him up to meet you as soon as he finishes his paperwork in HR.  I still don’t understand why we need another French speaking attorney at the firm.  You know I can handle it.”

 “I know you think you can handle it but look how much more international work we’ve taken on since you joined the firm.  Most of that is because of you and your hard work, son, but you’re going to burn yourself out if you keep going at this rate.”

 Hamilton opened his mouth to respond but thought better of it.  He’d already proven himself; maybe it would be nice to work fewer hours and get a few more hours of sleep.  He arrived first most days and usually outlasted Washington at night.  “You might be right,” he said, “a second set of eyes could be helpful.”  He closed the door behind him, suddenly imagining leaving early enough to have dinner with Eliza or enjoy a little summer sun. 

He skimmed the new employee’s personnel file, Laurens was his name, as he waited for the elevator.  Family wealth, fancy English and Swiss education, fluent in French, proficient in Spanish and Italian, reads Latin and Greek. Alex read on, feeling a little jealous that his new colleague might be smart enough and have enough political connections to usurp his position as Washington’s right hand man.

 Hamilton didn’t stop reading when the elevator door opened,  just stepped in as the occupant stepped out.  “Sorry,” he said as they collided.  “Are you okay?” 

“Yes, I’m fine.  No harm, no foul,” the man said as he smoothed his bespoke jacket with a well-manicured hand.  “But I could use some help finding Human Resources.” 

“Easy enough.  Follow me.  I’m headed there myself.  Alexander Hamilton,” he said, holding out his hand.  The introduction gave him an opportunity to give the gentleman a thorough once over.  He was tall, with striking blue eyes and brown hair fastened in a neat bun at his nape.  His handshake, firm but warm, sent a spark through Hamilton and he tried to will away the blush that warmed his cheeks.  He looked quickly at his own hands and decided that his nails looked fine, before looking back up at the other man.  

“John Laurens.”

 “Oh, hello.  I’m actually headed to HR to meet you.” 

“Then running into you, literally, was fortuitous.  He tried to ignore the warm vibration Hamilton’s grip sent through him, before letting go of his hand and stepping farther into the elevator. 

 When the doors opened again, they were chatting like old friends. Had the ride been longer, they would have been finishing one another’s sentences and agreeing in all the right places.  Had they been mind readers, they would each have heard, “Is he the one?”


	2. September

John and Alex sat on Alex’s terrace, warmed by the outdoor heater, and watched the sky darken.  Although the storm wasn’t expected to make landfall until early the next morning, the sky was ominous, shades of grey filling the horizon.  But it was quiet now, the kind of muffled quiet that comes after a new snowfall, and Alex remembered all the times he had heard people discuss ‘the calm before the storm.’ 

They weren’t talking, yet the silence didn’t seem awkward.  John never tried to make Alex stop talking as their friends sometimes did.  And he didn’t interrupt him.  He just let him go at his own pace, until he was satisfied that he had gotten it all out.  It was funny, Alex thought; John should have been a rival.   John spent those first few weeks trying to find his place at the firm, while Alex tried not to feel that they should be in competition.  But from the very beginning, they were able to see their commonalities.  And where they were different, they complemented one another.  As the days and weeks went on, they were rarely apart, to the point they were mentioned in the same breath by nearly everyone in the office.  Hamilton and Laurens.  Laurens and Hamilton. 

“Thanks for coming over.  I know everyone thinks I’m afraid of storms.  You’ve seen how Washington always tries to send me home when he thinks it’s going to be more than just a little rain.”  John opened two more beers and pressed one into Alex’s hand.  They each took a sip.

 “I’m not afraid,” he continued.  “Storms just bring up bad memories.  Our little island struggled but we always helped one another and we managed to get by.  But that storm changed everything.  I watched my whole town get destroyed. The winds and flood waters damaged every home, knocked some of them right off their foundations. The power was out for weeks; the satellite photos before and after," he paused, "I can't even describe the devastation. So many people died, regardless of what the government reported. Yet somehow I survived.  It’s why I work so hard.  There must have been a reason I made it out.  Maybe to tell their story?”

 “You said even in their poverty, they pooled their money to help send you here for school, right?  They saw something in you and wanted to help you make something of yourself.  I think your success is their story.  Not throwing away your shot, despite the odds.”

“Yeah.  Maybe.  I do feel like I have to do everything I can to prove I’m worth their sacrifice.”  Alex moved closer to the heater and rubbed his hands together, more for something to do than for the warmth.  He rarely shared the details of his childhood and it made him uneasy. "Hey, can we change the subject?”

“Sure.”

“Did I ever tell you about coming out to my father?”  John's light tone contrasted the heaviness of the previous topic. Alex shook his head.  “He had spent years telling his colleagues how smart I was, how athletic. It was as if he was trying to convince them I didn't have a girlfriend because I was just too busy being the perfect son." He took a longer sip of his beer and wiped his lips on the back of his hand. "It wasn’t as bad as I expected but I still don’t think he believes it.  He keeps calling it ‘this phase’ and keeps saying things will change when I meet the right girl. I tried that. I couldn't get out of her bed fast enough!

Alex made a small scoffing sound.

John laughed.  “I know, right?”


	3. October

John awoke on his birthday to loud singing and pounding at his door.  He stumbled from his bedroom, grabbing a robe on his way, and opened the door to a face full of confetti. 

“Happy birthday, John!” 

“Get in here before you wake my neighbors,” he said, as he used one hand to wipe his face and the other to pull Alex into his small foyer.  “What are you doing here?  It’s not even daylight.” 

“To help you celebrate, of course.  We’ve got a full day planned, so get moving.”  Alex stepped around him and into the kitchen where he placed a large bag on the counter.  “You get dressed while I make breakfast.”  John opened his mouth to ask where they were going and Alex shushed him.  “I’ll tell you after you get dressed. Wear jeans and sturdy shoes.”

John wondered what would require sturdy shoes but headed for the shower anyway.  By the time he returned, Alex had laid out a spread of his favorite breakfast foods: glasses of freshly squeezed orange pineapple juice, piping hot coffee, muffins, thickly sliced bacon, crispy fried potatoes and fresh fruit.   Alex placed a pat of butter onto the hot griddle and watched as it started to sizzle.  “How would you like your eggs, birthday boy?”

 “I didn’t know you cooked.”

 “I do okay.  Now, how would you like your eggs?  I don’t want the butter to burn.” 

“Over easy?” 

“Mmm.  Yeah, those would be good on top of the potatoes.  Do you have hot sauce?  I knew I forgot something.”  John pulled several bottles of hot sauce from the cupboard and Alex nodded approvingly. Alex deftly cracked four eggs onto the pan and pulled two warm plates from the oven.  He flipped the eggs, loaded the potatoes onto one side of each plate and topped them with the eggs.

 Despite the rush Alex had initially claimed, they ate slowly, filling their plates with the other items and making yummy noises here and there.  Alex's cooking was better than 'okay' but what made John happiest was that someone had taken the time to make his birthday special.  “After my mother died,” he paused as he thought about how much he missed her, “my birthday always seemed to get lost in the rush of Halloween parties for my younger brothers and sisters and shopping for Trick or Treat candy.  I took care of everyone else, and my father's emotional constipation left me neglected. I had plenty of _things_ but I rarely got what I needed.  I mean, I know he loves me. He just can't figure out a way to show it.  It's like he thinks emotions are too feminine for a Laurens man.”  He chewed thoughtfully on his muffin before continuing. "I hope I'm better with my kids."

 

The whole day seemed to fly by.  Alex had reserved two horses at a local stable and they spent the morning exploring the countryside.   The warm weather heated a pond they discovered near the trail, and they swam before before sunning themselves on the grassy knoll at the water’s edge. If they were embarrassed about not having swim trunks, neither of them mentioned it.  And if they stole glimpses at the other's toned body, neither of them mentioned that either.

“Hey.”  Alex cracked one eye open at the sound of John’s voice. The refreshing water and the warm sun had combined to relax him enough to drift off.  “Thanks for today.  It’s been a great birthday.”

“It’s not over.  I told you we had a full day.” Alex sat up and started gathering the rest of his clothes.

 “Can we stay here a little while longer, though?  It’s nice.” 

And they did, their remaining plans postponed to another day.

 


	4. November

<< **J. Laurens:** Would u like to do something for T-giving?  I decided to stay here instead of going home to the house of few emotions. 

>> **A. Ham:** ‘house of few emotions.’  Lol.  Ok, but you saw the extent of my cooking on your bday and half of that I bought from that fancy market you like.  Thanks for not calling me out on that, btw. 

<< **J. Laurens:**   It’s okay.  We can make it low key.  Or I can cook. 

Macaroni and cheese is an art,” John said as he sprinkled a little extra cheese on top of his masterpiece and put the baking dish in the oven.  “Do you remember how crazy I got when you offered to make lunch and made macaroni and cheese from a box,  I mean, seriously, I can see debating whether or not to use bread crumbs, and that’s a hard ‘no,’ by the way, but baked versus stovetop?  There’s no question.” 

“We didn’t cook much macaroni and cheese in Nevis or St. Croix.  But ask me about some saltfish or kallaloo and I can show you real cooking.”  Alex smiled at the memory of standing at his mother’s side and helping her cook the meals of his childhood.  “Thanks for suggesting dinner.  Eliza invited me to spend the holiday with her family but I didn’t want to have to deal with Peggy asking me over and over when we’re going to get married.  If you hadn’t called, I probably would have spent Thanksgiving at the office. I have some work to catch up on.”

 “I wasn’t going home and, Alex, you’re the closest friend I’ve got.  I wouldn’t let you spend Thanksgiving alone.  Lafayette’s coming, too, so we can just sit around and be boys.  No fancy napkins and tablecloths.  Just good food and plenty of alcohol.” 

Later, John looked around the table at his friends and wondered how he had been so lucky.  When he left South Carolina and moved to New York, he expected his father to try and help him find a job at a reputable law firm before trying again to marry him off to the daughter of  colleague.  He did not expect to become part of  Washington’s ‘family’ and he absolutely did not expect to meet two men who were more like brothers than his real brothers.  This was the family he chose and he took a bite of food, hoping to hide the tear at the corner of his eye. 

John reveled in the warmth he felt and tapped his spoon to the side of his glass.  “A toast, gentlemen.  Raise a glass.  Raise a glass to friendship.  Happy Thanksgiving.”

 “Happy Thanksgiving, John!” Alex and Lafayette said in unison.


	5. December

Alex closed his eyes and said a quick, silent prayer for this party to wind down.  Too much booze, too many loud conversations, and too many sparkly sweaters made his head hurt.  He made the rounds, steering employees towards Washington in small groups, where they had their photos taken and received their Christmas bonuses.  With every trip around the room, he searched for John and finally found him on the terrace looking at the stars.  His arms were wrapped around his torso.  “Hey, I brought your jacket,” Alex said.  “That sweater can’t possibly be warm enough.” 

“Thanks.”  John took the jacket and slipped his arms into the sleeves.  “I just came out to get some air and that view just drew me in." He pointed at a cluster of stars.  "When I was younger, my sister and I would take a blanket out to the little roof under my window on Christmas Eve. We'd stargaze and give funny names to the constellations and when we saw anything twinkling, I’d tell her it was Santa’s sleigh.  She was too old to believe in Santa but it still became our little tradition.”

“Are you going home for the holidays?”

“No, it’s not the same.  And I’ve got a new life here." _A new life with you, I hope_.

“Yeah, I know what you mean.”  Alex watched his breath coming out in little puffs and suddenly felt the cold on his cheeks and nose.  He reached for John’s warm hand and his mind went instantly back to the day they met and how John’s handshake had ignited something in him.  “Let’s go inside before we freeze.”  He stopped in the doorway.  “Hey, John, look up.  We’re under the mistletoe.”

“We’re also in front of every employee in the firm.” 

“So?” 

“So?  You’ve been dating Eliza on and off since ever since we met.  What will she think?  And what will everyone else think when you are suddenly seen kissing a man?  You’ve never given any indication that you were anything but straight.” 

“Remember when I couldn’t go out for drinks with you and Lafayette last week?”  John nodded.  “Eliza had asked me to dinner.  She fidgeted and seemed distant during the whole meal.  I pulled out all of my conversational jewels but I couldn't get her to look me in the eye.  I finally realized she wanted to tell me something.  It never occurred to me she wanted break up.  She tried to let me down easy.”  He paused to collect his thoughts.  “She said she loved me but she knew it could never work out.  You want to know why?  She could see I loved someone else.”  He placed his hands at John’s hips.  “She could see I loved you.” 

Suddenly John couldn’t think, couldn’t shake the feeling that Alex was playing an elaborate practical joke.  But then he felt Alex rising on his toes, stretching to press their lips together.  He could have sworn he heard cheering and catcalls in the background as he melted into the kiss.  When they broke apart, the only thing he could say was, “I love you, too.” 

**Author's Note:**

> I was wrapping gifts and doing the last of the Christmas baking while thinking about Alexander and John and wishing they could have had a happy ending. It's short but I hope it's enjoyable.
> 
> Laurens joined Washington's staff in August. That's probably the only historically accurate thing here.


End file.
